How will we know the real Jesus from a false prophet?

[Cristo Rei]

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it". Matthew 24:23-26


The confusing thing in the passage above is that Jesus is telling us not to believe when someone comes with signs and wonders claiming to be the Son of God.
How then will we know? How can we be sure?

Jesus performed many miracles but there were still people who didn't believe him
In a world filled with so much deception it's hard to believe anything

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:9

The evil one is quite capable of performing signs and wonders. He masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13

It will be very hard to know for sure if the person claiming to be the Son of God really is.

Many people believe that the age of apostleship ended after St Paul and reject any prophet and/or revelations which occur after it.
This view makes it impossible to accept Christ when he returns

 

[Heart2Soul]

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it". Matthew 24:23-26


The confusing thing in the passage above is that Jesus is telling us not to believe when someone comes with signs and wonders claiming to be the Son of God.
How then will we know? How can we be sure?

Jesus performed many miracles but there were still people who didn't believe him
In a world filled with so much deception it's hard to believe anything

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:9

The evil one is quite capable of performing signs and wonders. He masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13

It will be very hard to know for sure if the person claiming to be the Son of God really is.

Many people believe that the age of apostleship ended after St Paul and reject any prophet and/or revelations which occur after it.
This view makes it impossible to accept Christ when he returns

I agree, and it says if possible even the highest elect will be deceived. This is why pre-trib rapture is so dangerous...the false messiah comes first....for those who are unskilled in His Word and does not have spiritual discernment they will be deceived in thinking the rapture is here. The Bible says specifically how Christ will return.

 

[Cristo Rei]

I agree, and it says if possible even the highest elect will be deceived. This is why pre-trib rapture is so dangerous...the false messiah comes first....for those who are unskilled in His Word and does not have spiritual discernment they will be deceived in thinking the rapture is here. The Bible says specifically how Christ will return.

Your scaring me cos to be honest I am unskilled in the Word as I only came back to it a year ago.
Another piece of scripture that I keep thinking about is when Jesus tells us to always be ready cos it will come when u least expected
He tells the parable about the servant who had a party when his boss went away only to get busted, so keep watch

Which part of the bible are u referring to? Please direct me to the path

 

[Cristo Rei]

To be honest, i don't know what pre-trib rapture is.
I'll look into it tmrw, gotta crash now, so tired

 

[Josho]

To be honest, i don't know what pre-trib rapture is.
I'll look into it tmrw, gotta crash now, so tired

Pre-trib is the meeting in the clouds before the tribulation.

@Heart2Soul I don't think anyone fully knows the book of Revelation in knowing how everything will play out and in what order, but God. All we know is all these events will take place sometime.

There are several different views on the rapture, second coming and millennium. I remember dad saying, they learn all these different views in Bible school.

There is a preview in my Bible before the book of Revelation begins, it gives a summary of

- Premillenial Pretribulational View
- Premillenial Posttribulational View
- Premillenial Midtribulational View
- Premillenial Pretribulational Partial Rapture View
- Premillenial Prewrath Rapture View
- Evangelical Postmillenial View
- St Augustine's Amillennial View
- A Second Amillinial View

You get it there are many different end of end time views. Right now a lot of Protestant Christians are starting to lean towards or leaning towards the Post Tribulational View, well it sure seems that they are leaning that way.

My view at the moment may be somewhat a odd one on the end times compared to others, the 7 Churches are early in the book of Revelation, the letters to the 7 Churches, start of from Chapter 2, from reading about them I believe some get raptured before the tribulation (these are the overcomers) and then some don't. I believe those that don't overcome are given a second chance by God's grace during the tribulation, only this time it will be much harder to follow God during the Revelation Tribulation.

1 of the major verses that supports the rapture is

Revelations 3:10 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth"

There are also quite a number of other verses, but I will leave them for another day, as it's getting late here.

Some may use Matthew 24 as their defense of post tribulation, but is all of Matt. 24 in chronological-order?

Verse 40 and 41 do not sound like they are in a tribulation setting, but rather sound like a born again Christian and a non-Christian working side by side together whether it be in a field or grinding at the mill, one is taken up, and the other is left on earth.

 

[Josho]

Now addressing the OP @Cristo Rei,

I think Revelation 1:7 answers it

"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so. Amen."

The real Jesus Christ is coming with the clouds, every eye will see Him.

 

[theophilus]

After Jesus ascended to Heaven from the Mount of Olives an angel told the apostles he would return just as they had seem him go. Here is how his return is described by Zechariah.

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.
Zechariah 14:3,4 ESV

When someone comes down to the Mount of Olives and the mountain splits in two, you will know that Jesus has returned.

Actually we won't see him return; we will return with him. Before the tribulation the church will be taken out of the world by means of the rapture and will live in Heaven with him until his return.

 

[Heart2Soul]

Pre-trib is the meeting in the clouds before the tribulation.

@Heart2Soul I don't think anyone fully knows the book of Revelation in knowing how everything will play out and in what order, but God. All we know is all these events will take place sometime.

There are several different views on the rapture, second coming and millennium. I remember dad saying, they learn all these different views in Bible school.

There is a preview in my Bible before the book of Revelation begins, it gives a summary of

- Premillenial Pretribulational View
- Premillenial Posttribulational View
- Premillenial Midtribulational View
- Premillenial Pretribulational Partial Rapture View
- Premillenial Prewrath Rapture View
- Evangelical Postmillenial View
- St Augustine's Amillennial View
- A Second Amillinial View

You get it there are many different end of end time views. Right now a lot of Protestant Christians are starting to lean towards or leaning towards the Post Tribulational View, well it sure seems that they are leaning that way.

My view at the moment may be somewhat a odd one on the end times compared to others, the 7 Churches are early in the book of Revelation, the letters to the 7 Churches, start of from Chapter 2, from reading about them I believe some get raptured before the tribulation (these are the overcomers) and then some don't. I believe those that don't overcome are given a second chance by God's grace during the tribulation, only this time it will be much harder to follow God during the Revelation Tribulation.

1 of the major verses that supports the rapture is

Revelations 3:10 "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth"

There are also quite a number of other verses, but I will leave them for another day, as it's getting late here.

Some may use Matthew 24 as their defense of post tribulation, but is all of Matt. 24 in chronological-order?

Verse 40 and 41 do not sound like they are in a tribulation setting, but rather sound like a born again Christian and a non-Christian working side by side together whether it be in a field or grinding at the mill, one is taken up, and the other is left on earth.

I will not get into a debate on this....it will only confuse him. Thanks for your input!

 

[Enoch111]

The confusing thing in the passage above is that Jesus is telling us not to believe when someone comes with signs and wonders claiming to be the Son of God. How then will we know? How can we be sure?

I believe that this passage pertains to the time of the Antichrist, who will claim to be Christ and God. The Church will be absent from earth, but the Jews will be faced with determining whether the Antichrist is the Christ.

 

[Nancy]

"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it". Matthew 24:23-26


The confusing thing in the passage above is that Jesus is telling us not to believe when someone comes with signs and wonders claiming to be the Son of God.
How then will we know? How can we be sure?

Jesus performed many miracles but there were still people who didn't believe him
In a world filled with so much deception it's hard to believe anything

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:9

The evil one is quite capable of performing signs and wonders. He masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13

It will be very hard to know for sure if the person claiming to be the Son of God really is.

Many people believe that the age of apostleship ended after St Paul and reject any prophet and/or revelations which occur after it.
This view makes it impossible to accept Christ when he returns

Hi Cristo!

As I see it, God told Daniel to seal up certain things until the end comes...we will recognize Him, as Christians if we are seeking Him always because, He will reveal in His time and as we seek Him, we will know an impostor from the real deal.

"But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."
Daniel 12:4
Daniel was told to basically "shut up the words", and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Dan. Dan. 12:4).

I don't see that the "end" has come so...I think that is why we watch and wait with anticipation so we do NOT get deceived.
JMO

 

[farouk]

Hi Cristo!

As I see it, God told Daniel to seal up certain things until the end comes...we will recognize Him, as Christians if we are seeking Him always because, He will reveal in His time and as we seek Him, we will know an impostor from the real deal.

"But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."
Daniel 12:4
Daniel was told to basically "shut up the words", and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Dan. Dan. 12:4).

I don't see that the "end" has come so...I think that is why we watch and wait with anticipation so we do NOT get deceived.
JMO

@Nancy For the church it will be a question anyway of being 'caught up' to be with Him, not of somehow deciding whether or not to....

 

[Nancy]

@Nancy For the church it will be a question anyway of being 'caught up' to be with Him, not of somehow deciding whether or not to....

Not following you here Farouk.

 

[farouk]

Not following you here Farouk.

It was a question of whether one would recognize the Lord Jesus or not; but I think the context is likely the Jewish remnant after the church has gone.

 

[Heart2Soul]

I am curious as to the scriptures stating that many false messiahs will come.....many? I don't know of any unless it is speaking of pagan religions.....any thoughts?

 

[Nancy]

I am curious as to the scriptures stating that many false messiahs will come.....many? I don't know of any unless it is speaking of pagan religions.....any thoughts?

" Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Matthew 24:11-27

 

[Sabertooth]

The Bible says specifically how Christ will return.

Besides being the Guy in the clouds (that every eye shall see), we have Acts of the Apostles 1:9-11,

"Now when [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they watched,

He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.​

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said,

'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,
will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.' ”​

 

[Heart2Soul]

" Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Matthew 24:11-27

Thanks @Nancy, but I am speaking of "many false Messiah's"...
"At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it". Matthew 24:23-26

Have you heard of anyone claiming the Messiah is here?

 

[farouk]

" Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Matthew 24:11-27

@Nancy So we do need to keep "looking unto Jesus" (Hebrews 12.2), with our base firmly in the Word, don't we?

 

[Heart2Soul]

@Nancy, has this not ever caused you to wonder and ponder? Perhaps it is still something yet to come....thoughts?

 

[Sabertooth]

Have you heard of anyone claiming the Messiah is here?

I thought that Sun Myung Moon made that claim at one time...